Steve Cohen

Net Worth: $8.8 million
A Wharton grad, Cohen landed a position at Gruntal & Co. as an options trader in 1978. Legend has it that he booked an $8,000 profit in his first day on the job. Cohen went solo in 1992, launching SAC Capital with $25 million in assets. Today Cohen is widely regarded as one of the most powerful forces in equity trading; his Stamford-based firm manages $13 billion. After besting the competition with an 8% net return in 2011, a year in which the average hedge fund was down 5%, SAC’s flagship fund was up 8% through August of 2012. A prolific art collector, he purchased a 4% stake in the New York Mets for $20 million in 2012; he unsuccessfully tried buying a much larger stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers this spring.